The Sony BDP-S470 is aimed squarely at the
everyday consumer who has a home theater, may want to make a foray into
3D Blu-ray Discs someday, and does not mind using a wired Ethernet
for internet access to Blu-ray Disc BonusView or BD-Live content,
Netflix streaming, Pandora internet radio and other internet
content.

Note, while I did not evaluate the Sony BDP-S470
first hand, I did have hands-on experience with the
Sony
BDP-S570
model, which was introduced at the same time and the only difference
is the addition of Wi-Fi and
1GB built-in memory for BD-Live content.
Other than that, the two units are identical as part of the same
product line.

Like many Blu-ray Disc players, the BDP-S470 is a
slim-box design with a minimalistic footprint. The front
panel is rather sparse of buttons: only four tiny nubs serve as the
power button, disc tray eject/close, play, and stop controls. Everything else
is to be controlled from the remote control. The disc tray is
located on the left side of the unit, while the LED display is on
the right. A convenient front USB jack can be found on the
far right side of the front panel.

Initial set up of this Blu-ray Disc player was easy.
I used an HDMI cable to hook it up to my Onkyo TX-NR5007 AV
receiver, which takes care of both the video and audio signals.
(My Onkyo AV receiver does the HDMI switching and sends the video
signal to my Epson 1080p projector and decodes the requisite surround sound
formats). I plugged it into an AC outlet, plugged in a
Ethernet network cable, and turned it on. I then checked for and downloaded the latest firmware.
That's was it to enjoy Blu-ray Disc movies. Sony
pre-configured the BDP-S470 with default factory settings for an
HDTV display and surround sound system.

Sony modeled the
BDP-S470's graphical user interface after that of Sony Playstation
3's CrossBar design. That's fine, but the on-screen icons are
relatively small and do not make full use of the TV screen real estate.
Most functions can be accessed easily enough through this user
interface, including the access of internet based content.

The remote control leaves much to be desired.
The buttons are small and tightly arranged, making it hard to
operate without occasionally pressing the wrong button. And
without any glow-in-the-dark buttons or backlighting function, it is
also very difficult to operate in a dimly lit room. It is
obvious that Sony did not make the remote control a priority.
Even considering the entry-level price
point of this player, the form factor of this remote control is a
bit of a disappointment.

Having said all that, the remote control does offer direct
access to most commonly used functions, without having to pull up the
on-screen menu. Four color buttons (yellow, blue, red, green) allow for
BD-Live interactivity. There is a 10-second Replay button and
a 15-second fast Advance button.

Blu-ray Disc picture quality: Blu-ray Disc
picture quality through the HDMI as 1080p is great! The player
is capable of outputting 1080p at 24 frames per second (i.e.,
1080p/24) for film sources, replicating the native frames captured
on film. With a well-produced Blu-ray Disc action movie,
nothing can beat the clarity, detail, color, and brilliance of the
Blu-ray Disc format, and the BDP-S470 certainly brings it to life.

Blu-ray Disc sound quality: Blu-ray Disc
sound quality through the HDMI output using the
Dolby TrueHD
or
DTS-HD Master Audio is awesome. For action movies, my
system's Onkyo AV receiver and
B&W CDM CNT
loudspeakers
literally rocked the home theater with a bit-for-bit rendition of
the original studio master soundtrack. I have never heard
surround sound any better, including commercial movie theaters.
By the way, the BDP-S470 delivers picture and sound that is
synchronized, with no "lip synch" problems.

DVD-Video picture quality: During playback
of DVD-Video's native 480p resolution, the Sony up-converted the
picture very nicely to 1080p resolution. As can be expected,
the picture looked soft and lacks the same color depth and
brilliance of Blu-ray Disc movies at native 1080p resolution.
But the picture up-converted by this Blu-ray Disc player generally
looks better than that from a DVD-Video player. The more well
mastered DVD movies will convert up very nicely, without much video
artifacts. Those that were poorly encoded did not show much
improvement, as the proverbial "garbage in is garbage out" saying
goes.

DVD-Video sound quality: Both
Dolby Digital
and
DTS sound tracks sound
good, comparable to what a DVD-Video player would provide.

Netflix Streaming performance:
Netflix
streaming is acceptable on the Sony BDP-S470. The Sony
Netflix application does not provide an elegant forward or reverse
scanning capability. Competitive models from
Samsung or Vizio, for
example, offer a series of thumbnail images that gives you an idea
of what images are being scanned through. This more elegant
interface is very much like that of Netflix streaming on a PC
browser with the Microsoft Silverlight plug-in. With the Sony,
it is a frustrating trial-and-error approach to locate a specific
scene. As Netflix streaming users know, there are no chapter
marks as you would find with a Blu-ray Disc or DVD movie.
Other than that, the streaming quality and experience is good
through the Ethernet port.

Within the Sony Blu-ray Disc player line, if you do not have interest
in the 3D Blu-ray Disc titles, you can take a step down to the
entry-level Sony BDP-S370
(about $134) and save about $10. However, if you want upgrade to built-in Wi-Fi
and built-in 1G internal memory for BD-Live content storage, you can
step up to the Sony BDP-S570
(about $205) for about $60 more. If you're looking for a few more bells and whistles, you
can step up to newer
BDP-S770 (about $250)
which includes a backlit remote
control, a free Monster House
3D Blu-ray Disc movie, and a
monolithic 3D chassis design matching the 2010 Sony BRAVIA 3D HDTVs.

In general, Sony Blu-ray Disc players seem to be
competitively priced, compared to other major
brands like Samsung, LG, and Toshiba. The Sony BDP-S470 model compares most
directly to the
Samsung BD-C5500 (about $103),
offering almost the same level of features (less the 3D Ready and
SACD playback) and similar performance
level. The Samsung sells for significantly less and is therefore a
better value. It does come with a better designed remote with
larger and more usable buttons. Netflix streaming navigation
is little bit better with better forward/reverse scanning
capability.

The Sony BDP-S470 is a solid performing Blu-ray
Disc player, but not without its shortfalls (namely the remote
control). If you have a desire to try out 3D Blu-ray titles,
demand the best Blu-ray Disc picture quality and sound, want to use
the free iPhone/iPod touch remote control app, or playback
SACDs, this
is likely to be your player. Otherwise, you should also consider
the
Samsung BD-C5500 for its equally impressive performance, more
internet apps, more usable remote control with larger buttons, and a
lower price point. The only thing the Samsung is missing is
the 3D Blu-ray and SACD playback.